Hostage hoax brings SWAT to quiet street

Police received a call from a male claiming he was inside the residence

By Chris Harris, Richard Cowen And Joel Schectman Herald News

WYCKOFF, N.J. — A tense, three-hour standoff in a Wyckoff neighborhood ended Saturday evening when a SWAT team burst into a Hillcrest Avenue home and found only a cat.

Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said the incident that started at 3:38 p.m. Saturday was a "hoax," which began when police received a call from a male claiming he was inside the residence and had killed four people, wounded a girl, and taken two people hostage.